Fluid-solid contact surface



oct. 1,1946. A. A. GRIFFITH 2,408,632

FLUID- SOLID CONTACT- SURFACE Filed Aug. l2, 1945 rf w PI" 2' 22l TTOK/VEY Patented Oct. 1, 1 946 2,408,632 FLUm-SOLID CCINI'Afyl.` 1. Alan Arnold-Griffith, Derby; England, assigner to Rolls-Royce Limited, Derby; England,fa com-l Panyof Great Britain l Appli'catien Angustia, 1943',"seriifNq. 492;',414 In Great Britain August 2.5, 1942 t *l 5 claims. (cran-4.o)V

This invention relates to aeroplanes and other vehicles and also to pumps, compressors, turbines and like machines and ancillary appliances where, in the relative motion of a solid and avuid; it is necessary for the proper functioning of the vehicle or machine that the uid pressure on the surface ofthe 'solid shall increase in the general direction of motion of the iluid past the surface. A basic'factor governing the design`of such surfaces is that if such rise of pressure betoo rapid, the iow will break away from the surface with consequent increase ofdrag'or other loss. It is knownl that vsuch'a tendency', Ywhen it exists, may bev mitigated by introducing `into the'. surface a sltv Vor slots, or vthe like, through which the uid boundary layer may b'esucked away by a pump inY this restricted'region .the direction of ow of the-boundaryV layer is reversed; that is, it runs from the stagnation point to the slot.` `The tendency still'texistavhowever, in the later, more gradualrisef''V Accordirigto my invention, alluid-solidiboundary containing'one or more suction slots Yor the like isso shaped that norise of pressure occurs onthesurface in the general direction of flow eXcept'inthe interval between the slot, or each of them, and Vitsv associated stagnation point,- where the boundary layer is Vlocally reversed inV direction. Thisk may be done by providingthat the surface curvature suddenlyY changes onpass-vv ing 'acrossthe slot, in the sense of being less conveX tothe fluidvonfthe'do'wnstream side of the" slot. Iriaddition, there may be a sudden change of direction at the slot, in the sense to form a. re-entrant angle with respect to the solid. Known methods of calculation, used for determining ythe shapes of the surfaces having prescribed pressure distributions, may be used for ascertaining the precise shapes which are suitable for carrying out this invention. In general, it is found that the surface is convex to the fluid upstream of the slot and concave downstream, with the greatest arithmetical curvature at the slot in each case.

According to another feature of my invention,` the shape of the surface is so chosen that there ,occurs a suitableslow fall of pressure in the direction of ow, both upstream of the slot and downstream from the 'stagnation point associated with the slot, so that withmotion at large ReynoldsV the slot extends into the solid in a direction tangential to the less'convex portion ofthe surface at'the entrance to the slot'so'that Vthere isv no sharp vchange of direction between theslot and itsstagnation'point.

`An embodiment ofthe present inventionwill now be'described by wayof'example only,fwithV modification ofthe fluid-solid boundary shown in y Likrefer'ence numerals indicate like parts in the gures of the drawing l w AS'shWniIi Figure, lair or'otl'ie fluid iS flow:- ing fve'r the surface I0 of a "solid I I inthe direc` tin'shown bythe arrow I2. y Slotsl3 (the sizev of which'isgreatly exaggerated Ainthevdrawing) are formed in the surface I0 and suctionis'a'pplied toY these slots by suitable means so`as toy suck away apart or the whole of the boundary layer of thefluid adlaent the surface ID. The suction causes theboundary'layer to'flow vin the manner indicated bythe arrows-III', I5, I6 and II. A short distance' downstream of each slot I3 there isa stagnation'point I8 at which theiluidvfurther from the surface, justbeyondfthe layer siicledVA stream of the next slot i3 when the pressure will fall as shown at 22 to a value dependent upon the pressure produced by the suction device in the next slot I3. The rise 2! tends to cause the boundary layer to break away as indicated by the arrows Il with consequent increase of drag or other loss.

The surface Hl'shown in Figure 2 isshaped' ink accordance with this invention so as to be convex to the fluid at 23 upstream of each slot i3 andY concave to the fluid at 24 downstream of the slot. The arithmetical curvature of both the' concave" and the convex portions of the surface a'ref'great-u est near the slot. The curves 23 ands24-are discontinuous at the slot, so that there is a sudden change of direction at the slot to form-a-re entrant angle.

of direction between the stagnation pointlandthe slot. rounded to'merge with the. other surface of the slot.:

The rise -i 9i in -fpressure betweenl each .slot and its adjacent stagnationpcint l Biwill occur as with the existing arrangementisee the curve in Figf ure 2,w-hich is drawn onytheflsame convention as thatin Figure l, but the sharp fall 20 and subsequent` rise 2'! are replacedby a gradualslow fall 25 in pressure to the'next; slot 131v downstream. Any tendencyt for theV boundary layer; tof break away thus` completely@ eliminated.

Anyv known'V form of; purnp,fan, ejector, venturi ortheV like YInaysbe used tor-.suck awaytherboundary uuid through the slots andv this means-is shown in Figure 2 as comprising acentriiugalifan 26 drivenby a suitable primefmover 21fandhaving its intakeconnected-.bya passage ZStothe slots-I 3.

Inthe :modificationshown` in Figure 3 the slot l3-is.m'ade wider' than is necessary to admit the boundary layer and. lthea curve 2 3 .upstream s of the slot ends in-.af sharp edge 3S, the tangent '.31 f to' thecurve 23. at the edge Srbeing normal to the direction` ofthe slot.

It'fis tobe. understood that the `above".reference to sucking away the boundary layer includesuthe.-

removal -of Athe whole or a partthereof; the-,pressureproduced lby the suctionzdevice must be'. less than the pressure existing at the slot in orderto" remove-thefluid.` The suction' pressure deter.- mines the pressure which obtains at the-stagna,- tion npoint downstream from theslot,which ymay be equal-toforless :than the` Pitot pressure :according as` the boundary layerY is wholly or partly' removed.. No additionalv advantage isobtained by removing. a layer of: greater. thicknessfthan the boundary layer. A Y

Itfvvillalso beunderstood thatsurfaces of the kind to which this `invention relates are: usually curved-.in the direction of-fiow of thel fluid over x them,` as shown in .Figure 1, and thatr this general curvature acrossthe surface isY not, in general, uniform but changes,y along the surface. The changesy inv curvature required by the present invention are additional to such general progressivefchangesof curvature and referencesfin the;

The curve 2'mergeswitl'iv one wall of the slot so that there is no sharp change- The curve 23, upstream of the slot, is

appended claims to changes of curvature of the surface mean changes other than any progressive change in general mean curvature that the surface may have.

My invention is of advantage in that the ill effects of contrary pressure gradients which usually arise in the relative motionfof solids and fluids, arenot merely mitigated buteliminated altogether. The long slender shapes which have vlhitherto been an aerodynamic necessity are no longer needed.

I claim:

1.; A solid'A having a surface over which uid fiows.which:-is-provi`ded with at least one suction .xslotzand which surface is convex to the iluid .upstream ofthe slot and is concave to the fluid downstream of'the slot with the greatest arithmetic'al'curvature at the slot in each case, and meansfor sucking some of the fluid through the slot.

2;v A solid having, a surface overy which fluid flows; which is providedwith at least one suction slot, and which surface is convex to the fluidv upstream of the slot and concave to the fluid downstream of the slot, with the greatest arithmetical curvature at the slot in each case and withthe curvatures on either side of the slot discontinuous to forma re-entrant anglewith respect to the-solid, and' meansl for sucking;` some.

of theriluid v through the slot'.l

SLA solid having,v a surface: over which. uid ilows, which surfaceis providedwith at/leastpone` suction slot and-which surfacenis' convex-utothe..

fluidupstream of. the slot and ltconcave .to .the :iiuid downstream of the slot;, and .which slot extends into thesol-idiinadirection4 tangential to thecon.-

cavefportionI` ofsthe surfacev at the entrance .to the: slot; and means -for' sucking; some: of? the: fluid.;

through the slot.:

4. A solidfhaving-j asurface. over. which:l fluid flows andzwhichhas a convex portionfand a. cone cave-portion;r` the concave portion. being down.- strearniofv the convex portion, andwhich iszfornred with a :slot1betweenzthe said: portionszand 'extend-l .ingsintorthe solid inwaidirection: tangential 4to .the

concaver portion of". theV surface atA the. entrance.

to :thefsloit ,withionewall .mergingywith the concave.: portion and; the: otherv wall mergingy with. the convex portion:VV of.' ther. surface; through a f smoothcurvefofsmallradius;.and:means` for suck.-

ing-.some of thefluid through thej'slot;

.5. A solidV having, a surfaceoyer which fluidA flows and which has a convex portion and acon;` 

